Malevolent Beast
by Russddragon
Summary: An unsolved case has been resurrected. Edward Elric has to team up with a new, yet highly experienced, Alchemist to solve another Chimera case. When things take a turn for the worse Ed finds himself in a difficult situation against a very unique chimera.
1. The Hunt

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Fullmetal Alchemist. I also have not seen all the epis, so if some things are out of place, forgive me. Have any comments, please leave them and I'll make notes of them. I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can.

* * *

The woods of the eastern region were not a quiet place. Not at first. These woods were filled with the shouts of soldiers running around with their guns ready. They were looking for something. Something they kept referring to as "Chimera", "Monster", and "Beast". Even as the freezing rain fell and made visibility even less than the branches of the trees already made it, they searched the forest for their lost target.

One soldier stood out from the others. His black jacket, tee shirt, and pants were in contrast to the blue uniform the rest of them wore. A silver pocket watch testified his rank. His shaggy raven black hair was soaked and dripping with rain water. His dark onyx eyes scanned his surroundings. Two armed soldiers stood behind him following his lead. They kept watch and listened to the shouts of the other soldiers. They had been searching for hours with no success.

A peculiar shouting caught the attention of the soldier on the right. It was coming from up North. "I found something," the shouting voice said over and over.

The blonde soldier, known as Michael, turned to his fellow soldier and leader. "Sir, they found something."

The black haired leader glanced over his shoulder at Michael. His cold gaze gave Michael the creeps no matter how many times he has seen it. "Show me," the captain said.

With in minutes, the group of three was joined by many others. In time, a small group gathered around one soldier crutching near a mud puddle. The black haired leader stepped from the crowd to obverse what was just found. The young soldier looked up to see his leader standing there waiting for a report. "Captain Vilonce, sir," the soldier said, pointing out what he had found.

The so called mud puddle was odd sharpened. It was round on one end, but on the other it was jagged, that the foot print of a large animal. Four clawed toes extended from an oval shaped print. The captain stared at the print for a moment, standing still, silent and unmoving. Then, still without so much as an expression on his face, he gave orders. "Search the surrounding area," he said. "Look for anything possibly out of the ordinary." He pointed a bony finger at the soldier that found the print. "I want you to search for my tracks such as this."

"Yes sir!" The soldier said, standing and saluting to his officer before doing as commanded.

The rain refused to let up. If anything, it rained harder. Visibility in the forest was being more limited as the misty water obscured the soldiers' range of sight. Many of them were cold and wishing they were home in a nice warm bed by now, but knew they had to stick to their duties. Another hour or so rolled by since they found the print and not another sign since had shown itself. Even Captain Vilonce was about to give in.

That is, until the screams started.

The first one ran out through the forest and many of the soldiers heard it. If they were not aware already, the gun shots would sure get their attention. However, when they got to the source, all they found was the mangled body of the soldier that found the one and only footprint. His chest was slashed opened, his face barely recognized, muscles in his legs torn, and his right arm was missing. Blood mixed with the mud in puddles around him. His gun was half buried in the ground near him. The entire area was so slick many of the men kept their distance while others took caution while inspecting the body.

By the time the captain got there, the three soldiers were done giving the body a once over. But, when they turned to give their report another scream came from somewhere behind them. Then another, and another.

"Be on your guard, men, and stay close," the captain commanded. "Don't let each other out of your sight." He motioned for his privates to follow and set forth.

The first scene they came to was just as unpleasant as the last. The next was even more unpleasant. The body of a dark haired soldier laid in ruins in the muck its blood created. His face was completely torn off. Organs spilled from his open gut, and his limbs were still attached only by threads. While other men were disgusted by the mess, Vilonce only grew more enraged. This creature had to be stopped. Only now taking it back dead or alive was not an option. Destruction was the course to be taken.

Several meters southwest of the captain's location, a foot soldier known as James was taking a through sweep of the area. His auburn hair was matted to his scalp by the rain and its icy chill cut through his clothing like frozen daggers. Despite his captain's command, he had lost sight of his fellow soldiers, and they lost sight of him. Knowing general direction, he hoped to find his way back to the others before the beast they were hunting found him. With so much rain and water, his gun would become useless. Wet powder will not discharge and rust might cause the barrel and bullets to become weak and unstable.

Hearing the screams and seeing the dead body of a man he once knew made James extremely nervous. Not to mention jumpy. Every time it sounded as though a twig popped, he would turn on his heels, aiming his gun, hoping it was not the creature they were hunting. His heart was racing and his breath was coming in quick burst. Thunder was roaring across the sky, though the clouds which blocked out the sun. That and the rain did nothing to ease James' nerves.

The worst part about knowing that there is a killer monster on the prowl is when you finally meet it. There was no cracking of twigs, no ruffle of leaves, not even a splash in the mud. When James turned around he found himself staring face to face with the target they have been seeking. Fierce, crimson eyes stared into his. The rage of a beast coursed through the large orbs. James was too frightened to take in all the details of the beast. All he knew is that it was a head taller than him and obvious on hind legs. Jaws full of razor fangs were exposed from peeled back lips. A snarling sound echoed from the throat of the creature. Rain water dripped from long jet black locks.

James' heart felt as though it was now beating in his throat. He struggled to sallow it and calm himself, but he shook uncontrollably. He no longer cared for the icy chill of the rain, the fact his boots were sinking into the mud, or even finding his comrades. All he wanted now was to get back alive, but at this point it seemed impossible. James' body flinched when long, sharp, black talons were scrapped across his neck. It was not a killing blow, or even drew blood, but James was so scared he reacted to it all the same. With a quick motion, he raised his gun and fired at the creature's head.

The shot missed. The creature did not even move in a reaction to his. Instead, it merely raised a shaggy brow before driving his claws into James' neck and began feasting on his flash.

Captain Vilonce was getting tired of this. Several men were down and not a single sign of the creature has shown up yet. Not to mention the rain and mud added to his annoyance. Vilonce glared at the thunder clouds above, clinching his fist. One of the Privates near him began to twitch uncontrollably. "Captain," the private said. "Captain!"

The soldier fell into the mud near him and was his body was jerking severely. His eyes stay on his captain as his body acted as though it had a mind of its own. Another private that was following the captain placed his hand on Vilonce's shoulder. Once the captain took a deep breath and calmed his temper, the Private stopped jerking and was able to regain command of his body. Standing, he gave the captain once last glance before returning to his duties.

Before they were able to press on, another scream echoed through the forest, then another, and another. Accompanying them were gun shots that were quickly shut off. Vilonce pointed out the direction the screams came from and the men prepared to move out. That was until screams started coming from the other direction.

The captain looked around, puzzled. The screams started to come from all around them. His men were being slaughtered at an alarming rate by an enemy they can't even but a face on. The only explanation he could come up with was not good for them. If they were outnumbered, then there is no way they could make it out of this forest alive. However, it was their duty to stop this terror, and so they press on. Leading his men, Vilonce picks the direction of the most recent scream and charges for it.

Lead by some unseen force, as if acting upon an instinct, Vilonce kept running. His eyes were focused up ahead, and every now and then he would turn slightly as though he was fallowing the path of a creature he was pursuing. The captain ran through the forest swiftly, slashing through puddles of mud and crashing through low branches. His privates that were assisting him, however, were having a difficult time keeping up. A few of them slipped in the puddles, others got caught by limbs.

When Vilonce finally stopped running, he was standing in the center of a small clearing. The four private soldiers came crashing through the tree line and regained themselves, taking in deep breaths and fixing their clothing. They were all tired from the chase.

Something was not right. Vilonce felt it in his bones. All the screams had stopped and the forest fell quiet, except for the rain that continued to fall. All attention was turned to their surrounding area. For some strange reason, Vilonce felt alone, that his men were all gone. It did not frighten him in the least. However, it did irritate him to a great degree.

The Privates that stood by him, though, were shaking, and not from the cold either.

Vilonce walked to the center of the clearing. His fellow soldiers took a step to follow, but a clawed hand with long talons burst from the chest of one of his men. The three others turned their guns to fire, but they all discharged in a bust of flames due to being rusted from rain. One blonde soldier fell back into a puddle of mud. When he looked up to see what was going on a shard of shrapnel from one of the guns flew right into his eye and lodged itself deep into his skull. By the time Vilonce looked over his shoulder to see what was going on, his men were already doomed. He caught sight just in time to see his last two soldiers get torn to shreds.

Standing there among the corpses it created was the beast they were hunting. Exact details were obscured by the rain and lack of sunlight, but the captain knew this was no ordinary creature. It stood on his hind legs like a man, but the features it showed were more inhuman than anything else he had ever seen. Crimson eyes were the most noticeable thing.

"You bastard," Vilonce cursed the monster as he glared at it with hated eyes.

Clenching his fist, he let all his hatred, anger, and vengeance into the air and world around him. Sparks of light traveled in the air, through the rain and puddles, the trees felt the surge of energy. And the corpses were electrified as well. Deep within the once proud soldiers, bones started to creak and move. What was once in animate stood once again.

Vilonce continued his staring contest with the beast when they were no longer alone in the clearing. All the soldiers that were killed walked out of the tree lines. Those who were no longer able to stand were left behind. Bones popped and creaked as they moved about and surrounded their prey. The captain was in control over his army once again.

"Kill him," he said, his onyx eyes glowing with alchemic power.

Every corpse that was giving the ability to move again attacked the creature at once, but, the beast was smart. He lashed out at their legs, cutting through muscles and ridding out bones, snapped some like twigs and discarding them. Even at that, the numbers were proving difficult for the beast. Yet, even at that, within a matter of minutes the monster ripped many of the corpses apart and used its inhuman strength to knock others out of the way to give him better mobility.

Vilonce saw that it was a losing battle. It's not a wonder how it was able to take out his entire armed fleet. Now, standing alone in the drenched forest, it was time for him to take a last stand and live up to the title of the Necro Alchemist.

The walking corpses gave up on attacking the beast and started gathering around Vilonce. They latched onto him in various patterns, covering him from head to toe. Even the ones missing their legs crawled until they were part of this mass of bodies. With a wicked smirk on his face, and a blazing glare in his eyes, Vilonce worked his alchemy once again. Electricity surged through him and the corpses. The energy built more and more. In a flash, Vilonce and the corpses disappeared, and something else took its place. Something far beyond human.


	2. Train Ride

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Fullmetal Alchemist. I also have not seen all the epis, so if some things are out of place, forgive me. Have any comments, please leave them and I'll make notes of them. I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can.

* * *

Twelve years later, a young Alchemist by the name of Edward Elric passed the State Alchemist entrance exam at a record age and became the youngest State Alchemist in the fleet. He was very talented and quickly earned the title of Fullmetal Alchemist. However, despite is appearance, he was suffering from a great mistake him and his brother Alphonce made long ago. 

There was a knock on the door of Edward's hotel room. Ed was lying on his bed reading a book. "Hey, Al, can you get that?" he asked his brother, too lazy to get up.

Al sighed and stood up from his spot in the corner. He went over to the door and opened it. An old man who worked at the front desk of the hotel was at the door. He looked up with wide eyes at Al. Seeing a walking suit of large armor is not something you see every day. Especially in a dry climate like this were the wearer would feel like he was wearing an oven.

"Hello," Al said, his soft voice contrasting with his tough looks.

The old man swallowed and handed him an envelope. "Message for Mr. Edward Elric."

Al gratefully took the message and nodded politely to the man. "I will see that he gets it." Al said before closing the door.

The man shook off the thought of the man in armor, with the voice of a young boy, and went about his business.

Al carried the envelope over to his bother and held it out to him. "It's for you."

Al's blonde haired brother let out a sigh and closed his book with a snap. Sitting up and setting the book aside, he took the envelope and looked at whom it was from. It was addressed from his employer Roy Mustang. That alone irritated Ed, but he opened the envelope regardless and dumped its contents into his left hand. It was a letter and a map with marked areas of the eastern region. Ed put the map aside for now and went for the letter. Al sat on the floor and waited patiently as his brother opened the letter and began reading.

When Ed was done reading he gave an annoyed grunt and fell back onto the bed and just started at the ceiling.

"What's the matter brother?" Al asked after a short moment of silence.

"We have to take the first train to Central tomorrow," Ed explained. "Mustang has another assignment for us."

"Did he give any details?"

"Nope," Ed said, sitting up and showing Al the letter. "All he said was that it was urgent and that he'd explain when we got there." Ed crumbled the letter up in his first and a look of anger swept over his face. "Damn that Mustang! Always barking orders and rushing us off as soon as we've completed one mission to start on the next. And we're close… I'm sure of it. This town has something. We just need more time to dig it out."

Al stood up and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Now, now, Ed. We can always return once we've finished this urgent mission. And you never know. This mission might lead us closer to the Philosopher's Stone then this town could."

Ed nodded once then fixed his ponytail. "You're right Al," he said with a sigh, still irritated they were being rushed off so soon. Standing to stretch, he looked at his brother. "Well, lets wrap things up here."

Ed grabbed his coat and headed out the door, Al followed close behind.

The next morning Ed was so tired he fell asleep before the train even pulled out of the station. It did not take them long to prepare for the trip. They learned quickly to travel light. Though, it's not like they owned a lot of things. The two brothers abandoned a lot of things due to the fact they are almost always on the road.

While Ed slept, Al watched the landscape rush past them. It was hard for him to sleep in the body he had, but he made due.

The country rolled by them. Miles and miles of wide open spaces and clear skies reminded Al why it's nice to travel and see the beauty for the world. If only he could feel the breeze on his face would things be truly wondrous.

Ed woke up almost two hours into the trip. He stretched and yawned before he asked his brother, "How much longer do we have on this trip?"

"My guess would be an hour to an hour and a half," Al responded.

Ed gave a grunt noise and laid his head back down. "Wake me up when Mustang stops flapping his yap."

Before Ed could even get comfy a woman screamed in the car behind them. While other passengers on the train were trying to decide what to do, Ed and Al were already on their feet and running down the aisle to see what was going on. They opened the door at the rear of the car with a hurried force and jumped over the railing as if they have done this before.

The two rushed to the back of the car, Ed in the lead with Al on his heels. Once Ed caught sight of what was going on, he stopped dead in his tracks. The woman that screamed was on the floor with her hands up trying to shield herself from her attacker. Only, her attacker was a large cat. At first glance, Ed thought it was a Lion, but the strips on its back proved otherwise.

There was not time for Ed to figure out what this thing was. The cat had its claw raised and was ready to strike. Thinking quickly, Ed clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the floor of the train car. Electricity sparked from his hands and traveled along the floor of the car. Suddenly, iron bars started to form in front of the cat while the floor under the woman shifted and moved her further away from the beast. When the animal swung its claw all it hit were the newly formed bars. The cat lunged at woman but was caught by the newly formed iron net.

Al helped the frightened woman to her feet. All the passengers were looking at the animal puzzled. How could such a huge animal get on a train like this?

An older man, possibly late thirties, came running at the cage and stopped in front of it and leaned over, placing his hands on his knees and tries to catch his breath.

"Oh, good," he said.

Once he caught his breath he stood up and fixed his lock of fading brown hair. He did not look much of an athlete but he was not badly out of shape either. The man turned to Ed with a smile. "Good work lad. I was afraid he would have seriously injured someone."

"He almost did," Ed said, folding his arms and gave the man a look as if he was an adult himself. "What is an animal like that doing on a train? Shouldn't it be locked in a cage?"

Ed was rather bold for a fifteen year old, and he had more responsibilities then most adults. Ed might as well be an adult in a teen's body.

Though the man found Ed's stance rather odd for one so young, he gave the young Alchemist a polite nod and referred back to the animal in the cage with a gesture of the hand. "It was in a cage," the man said, "until it got free when one of the watch men was feeding. I am terribly sorry for the mess Mr.…"

"Edward Elric," Ed said, inserting his name into the man's pause.

The man suddenly looked shocked and a beat of sweat formed on the side of his face. "Oh! State Alchemist Elric? I am very sorry, sir. I apologize. I'll see to it that this animal is well secure and back in its cage."

With a wave of his hand he signaled for a few men to chain the animal and take it back to its proper cage back in the livestock car. Ed raises a brow at the man. It was not unusual for people to be surprised at his appearance and presence, but something was fishy about this one. Not to mention the unexplained animal behind him.

"You still didn't answer my first question," Ed stated. "And just what exactly is that thing?"

The man looked at Ed and tried to keep his cool. "I am Michael Salvage. This animal is a Liger, a subject in experimental breeding between two different species. My men and I were taking him to the zoo in Central to be observed by local scientist. There is no reason for you State Alchemist to get involved. We have everything under control. Please, enjoy your day gentlemen."

Ending the conversation as quickly as he can, Michael followed his men to the back car to see that everything was indeed fine. Ed, however, was not too convinced. Something was up, and he knew it. After getting the woman back in her seat, the two brothers returned to their seats and rode the rest of the train ride in silence.

The train retched Central around noon. As soon as Ed got off the train the first thing he said was "Alright, let's go get some food."

Al was stuck carrying the luggage as always. The Central train station was crowding with people coming and going from the train as well as family members saying good-bye to their loved ones. With all the places Ed and Al have seen, Central was no doubt the busiest station of them all. And to no surprise, Central was a large city and the center of the region's trade. The main reason the lead military Headquarters was established here.

"Alphonse Elric," a voice called out above the crowd.

Al turned to spot a young man with jet-black hair and dark eyes approach them. The man was dressed in casual clothes despite his rank.

"Colonel Mustang," Al said, giving the man a polite nod of welcoming.

"Where's the pipsqueak? Did you lose him on the train? Or is he perhaps in the suit case?"

Ed shoved his brother aside and faced the man with blazing eyes of hatred and clinched teeth. "I'm right here you ungrateful jackass!" Ed yelled, wanting to punch the Colonel.

Roy Mustang smirked at the boy's annoyance. "Ed, you should drink your milk. Hard to see you in the typical crowd."

Ed crossed his arms and glared at the Colonel. "What do you Mustang? We got here as soon as we can."

Mustang checked his offical State Alchemist Pocketwatch for the time and looked from it back to the two boys. "The first matter is lunch. We still have time before your partner arrives."

Ed raised a brow at the statement but could not pass up a free meal. Then again, with Roy Mustang, was the meal really free or will Ed be left with the dishes?

There was a restaurant near by. The three made their way their and sat down for a meal. Ed ordered his fill of food and so did Roy. Al, on the other hand, did not order a thing. It was not like he would be able to eat it anyway. As they were waiting for their food, Ed gave Mustang a brief report of their previous mission. It was not that he was worried others would hear, they were in a private section of the building reserved for people of military service, he simply did not think there was much to go over about it. It was a simple mission with a simple solution.

When he told Mustang about the clue that led him to believe that he found a lead to the Philosopher's stone Mustang told him not to worry and that is next mission would help him in that such. When Ed tried to get more information, Mustang cut him off when the food arrived.

"I'll tell you more when we get to Central's HQ," Mustang told Ed. "You and Al are not the only ones going on this mission."

"Who else is joining us?" Al asked while Ed stuffed his mouth with food.

"His name is Marcus Kaizu," Mustang said, putting his fork down for a moment. "He's from the far East. He was part of a foreign alliance program and got the pleasure to study alchemy from our country as well as his. When he became a state alchemist on his twentieth birthday he was granted the title of Crimson-Blood Alchemist. Like you, he displayed tremendous talent for one so new to this field. Now he has been assigned to help us on this particular mission."

Just then, their waitress came to the table and told Mustang that he had a call waiting. Mustang excused himself from the table and moved to the back room where the military set up their own phone line.

Mustang walked into the booth, did not bother to close the door, and picked up the phone. "Colonel Mustang," he said into the receiver. "Oh, Lt. Hawkeye, has he arrived yet?" he paused for a moment to listen to her answer. "I see. Very well, we will be there shortly."

After hanging up Mustang went back to the table to find several empty dishes and the bill waiting on him. When he looked at it, a look of irritation swept over his face and his left eye brow started to twitch. Ed, on the other hand, just sat there with a smirk on his face and food in his belly. Mustang finished off what little was left of his meal and slapped a few bills on the table.

"Your partner is waiting for us," Mustang said. "I will give you more details of your mission when we get there."

With Mustang leading the way, Ed and Al followed him outside where a car waited for them. They all piled in and headed to the Central command headquarters for further instructions.


	3. The Mission Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Fullmetal Alchemist. I also have not seen all the epis, so if some things are out of place, forgive me. Have any comments, please leave them and I'll make notes of them. I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can.

* * *

Central command was a large building with people in military uniform moving about with specific duties to perform. The place was particular busy today when Ed and his brother arrived. Mustang left the boys to wait in his office while he changed from casual clothes into his uniform. Ed looked both bored and annoyed, slumped in the chair while waiting for Mustang to return.

"You shouldn't slouch, Ed," Mustang said as he entered the room. "You're short enough."

"Bite me," Ed replied, sitting up. "What's this all about anyway?"

Mustang dropped a large fold of papers onto the desk. "Did you bring the map I enclosed with the letter?"

Ed pulled the map from his pocket and tossed it onto the desk. Mustang looked at the map and gave an assuring nod. "Good, you'll need it."

Sitting in the large comfy chair behind him Mustang locked his fingers together, got comfy, and eyed Ed's annoyed expression before going on with the explanation he was so anxious to get. "In case you are wondering, there are a few reasons we are meeting in Central. The main one is the fact the head records library is located here. I had to obtain these files. I am reopening a closed case."

Edward raised a brow at the mentioning of a closed case. For Mustang to reopen a case there must be a reason. "Which case and why reopen it?"

Roy nodded his head and leaned back in his chair. "The case was closed several years ago when an escaped animal was never found and the soldiers that went looking never return. Recently there have been animal sightings that match the animal." Roy shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing big. Just find the animal and return it."

"So, this is a search mission?" Alphonse asked. "Which is why you're teaming us up with a partner, right? He must be a skilled tracker then."

Edward was not very convinced this mission would be as easy as Roy made it out to be. _Roy would never reopen a case as simple as this, _Ed thought as he reached for the file and picked it up to flip through it. It was all basic military paper work that was filled out for all cases, simple or otherwise. Yet, something did not seem right. The case was titled classified for a reason Ed could not grasp. Hardly any information was in the file. No description of the animal, no pictures of footprints, nothing useful. All that was in there was a map of the area with marked areas and a list of soldiers that went on this hunt.

That is what really caught Ed's attention. Just a moment ago Roy stated that the soldiers that went on the case years ago did not return. There were dozens of soldiers on that list. For so many to disappear was uncanny. Now Edward was interested.

The only personal ID in the file was behind the list. It had a photo and personal info. The photo was a standard snapshot for military IDs. The man had dark eyes and dark hair. His skin tone was pale and it gave him a sort of undead look to him. Even the uniform he wore was black compared to Mustang's blue. The name at the top of the page read Luther Van Vilonce. The title under his name made Ed raise a brow.

"Necro Alchemist?" Ed said out loud, looking from the file to Roy. "Isn't that against the laws of Alchemy?"

Mustang smirked, knowing he was going to ask that question. "Crossing the borders of life and death is," Mustang began explaining. "Bringing things back to life is, too. However, reanimating them is not. Luther did not bring bodies back to life. Instead he used alchemy on their bones to give them the ability to move to his will. He never gave them back their lives, only the ability to move again."

Ed nodded slowly. He had never seen such a thing performed, but it sound possible. After all, Al was, more or less, an animated suit of armor with a soul attached to it. A dead body would not be much different with the right alchemistic skill.

Turning back to the file Ed looked over the rest of the list of names. All these men must have been soldiers under Vilonce's command. Even after death, all these men would be of use to Vilonce and this miniature army would still continue on their mission until their captain gave in himself. Even still, for all of them to disappear like that without a trace was uncanny. Something was going on, and it just might be the lead Edward and Alphonse have been searching for.

Edward closed the file and placed it on the desk. "Tell me more about this Marcus Kaizu."

Roy Mustang could see that Ed was now interested. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Mustang said, waving his hand in the air as if signaling someone to come in.

The door opened and Edward turned in his chair to see the tall, eastern man enter the room. Like the man in the profile, Kaizu also wore a black uniform that seemed to reflect more of Kaizu's personality then the military's. His coat was worn open to show a black tee shirt underneath, the chain to his Alchemist watch hung from the pockets of black cotton pants. In an odd sense, the man's attire reminded Ed of his own, only without the red coat.

The man had a cream color skin. It was not as pale as Vilonce's was in the picture, but it was far whiter then Ed's. His raven black hair fell past the man's shoulders. It was silky and smooth, but had a few collections that formed fallen spikes around his bangs. His eyes were a mixture of dark sapphires and onyx stones. What seemed to contrast with Kaizu's gloomy looks was his friendly smile.

"Hello. Roy, Edward, Alphonse."

"Marcus Kaizu," Mustang said.

Kaizu walked into the room and shook hands with Ed and Al. "Shall we get this show on the road?"

"Kaizu knows all the details. He will explain the rest," Roy said, turning to a stack of papers in the corner. "Go on. I have work to do."

With that, Edward and Alphonse Elric headed back to the train station with their new travel companion. Next stop: the eastern forest.

The station was just as busy as it was when they got off. Kaizu got a bag of supplies before they left and hung the bag over one shoulder. In some ways Kaizu reminded Ed of a vampire, covered in black clothing, not allowing any of his skin to be seen, and he wore sunglasses outside, even when the sun was not bright. Clouds covered the sky and the sun, making the weather outside as gloomy as he is.

"What beautiful weather we're having," Kaizu said. Ed could tell he was not being sarcastic.

"Yeah, sure," Ed said, just letting it slip by.

Kaizu looked at Ed with a smirk and motioned for him to come on. "The tickets are already prepared. All we have to do is get on the train before it leaves."

While getting on the train, Ed could not help but wonder what they were getting into. Right then he came up with plenty of questions to ask this Crimson Blood Alchemist.

The busy streets of the city rolled away into hills as they entered the wide open spaces of the country side. Not bothering to look from the window just yet, Ed began his interrogation.

"So, any idea what made Mustang want to reopen this case?" Ed asked.

Kaizu looked at Ed with a raised brow. Then he took off his sunglasses and leaned back in the chair. "He was assigned to reopen it. Though, that doesn't mean he didn't take the case gratefully. You see, there have been strange animal sightings recently. Weird unidentified footprints, strange howls, and missing live stock. Farmers keep complaining about their cattle being scared stiff and heads gone missing. If they were lucky, they would find remains.

Point is, strange things are going on and we were assigned to look into it. We are both skilled Alchemist, and, to be honest, the only ones free for the job." Kaizu smirked at that and put his sunglasses back on.

Ed thought over this mission they were given. "We are suppose to find out what is causing these weird occurrences. However, I still have not been told anything about this previous case." Ed gave a suspecting stare at Kaizu. "Did Mustang tell you anything?"

Kaizu lowered his glasses and stared at Ed for a bit. After a second he pushed his glasses back into place, shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know nothing."

Edward's stare narrowed at him. "What did Mustang tell you?"

Kaizu smirked before he began explaining. "Mustang did not tell me anything. But, as double negatives suggest, I do, however, know something. I had to obtain it myself. While I was going through the file library a few years ago, I just so happened to come across the file Mustang presented you. Only, it had a lot more in it then when he showed it to you."

With that note, Ed came to one conclusion. "Someone removed some of the papers."

A nodded from Kaizu assured Edward that he was on the right track.

"What the file does not tell you is that, at the time, there were experiments dealing with chimeras going on. One of the suspects escaped into the eastern forest and a unit lead by Luther Van Vilonce was sent after it. The file I found never told what kind of experiments were going on or what kind chimera they were after. The creepy part is the report that comes after they were sent out."

Alphonse, who has been sitting there listening the whole time, decided to join in the conversation. "None of the soldiers sent on the mission returned to base and were classified Missing-in-action, right?"

Kaizu gave a twist of the head that showed he was thinking of how to put it. "Not entirely true. You see, it is true that they did not return to base. So, they sent a search team after them. What they found was a massacre. The bodies of their fellow soldiers were scattered all over the forest. Many of them were found in piles of limbs in a clearing. That suggested that Captain Vilonce used his alchemy. But the fact that their gore was found throughout the forest gave the search team quite a chill.

"When they were counting bodies, some they had to just find their head, the only one who was truly missing was Vilonce. Many suspected he was still alive and in hiding somewhere, but, you know the military. They decided to cover up this mess and close the book on this. After twelve years of silence and no word of Vilonce, things quieted down. The public never knew what happened and they tended on keeping it that way. The files went to collect dust in the back of the library.

"Now that these strange events are transpiring in people's home town, the military will like to get a jump on this and try to put a lid on this before it gets out of hand. If this just so happens to be the chimera from fifteen years ago they don't want the public to catch on to the chimera experiments. Whatever that thing was that slaughtered those men is something to take serious. And whatever kinds of experiments were going on in that lab has created it. The military would just like to brush things under the carpet like always."

Edward took a moment to let it all sink in. As he suspected, this case was a lot bigger than Mustang made it out to be. This ticked Ed off. When he got back he was going to give Roy a piece of his mind. This case was turning dangerous fast. Little did Edward, Alphonse, and their new companion Marcus know, this case was about to take a turn for the worse.


End file.
